Packing for ampullas or similar container



March 6, 1962 B. R. VAN WULFFTEN PALTHE 3,024,075

PACKING FOR AMPULLAS OR SIMILAR CONTAINER Filed Sept. 3, 1958 FIG. 3

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F 6-1 INVENTOR BERTOLD R. VAN W ULFF TEN PALTHE BY W KAIGENT limitedrates Patent Q? 3,024,076 PACKLNG FOR AMPULLAS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERBer-told Richard van Wultften Palthe, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignorto North American Philips Company, lino, New York, N.Y., a corporationof Delaware Filed Sept. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 758,855 Claims priority,application Netherlands Sept. 25, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 312-236) Thisinvention relates to packings for ampullas or similar containers forsperma, vaccin, serum or other substances which are to be stored at lowtemperature.

The ampullas may be either of the glass type closed by sealing or simplyconsist of small glass tubes having a bottom and closed at the other endby means of a cork. Natural cork is found to be very suitable materialat low temperature.

Such ampullas are often required to be frozen in large quantities,stored at low temperature in even larger quantities and transported inmore or less large quantities to the place of consumption overconsiderable distances.

The present invention provides a packing for ampullas which afiords thefollowing advantages:

1) It may be used in any desired quantity and for storing an arbitrarynumber of ampullas in each stocking in freezing and storage cabinetswhile permitting the cooled space in such cabinets to be filled with aminimum dead space.

(2) The packing permits of coding the ampullas by means of colourindications.

(3) The packing is not fragile and provides very good protection of theampullas against breakage and mechanical shocks.

(4) The packing is inexpensive and may readily be filled and emptied.

(5) The packing has a heat-insulating action and protects the ampullasagainst strong variations in temperature upon displacement from onespace to another.

(6) The packing is suitable for storage and transportation in vesselshaving a very narrow neck, such as Dewar vessels.

(7) The packing is suitable for renewed use, but may also be consumed.

The packing according to the invention comprises a tubing or a stockingmanufactured of flexible cold-resistant material, preferably of naturalfibers, such as wool, or synthetic fibers, such as nylon fibers, and isdesigned to be filled with a row of ampullas or the like.

The dimensions and properties of the tubing or stocking thus are suchthat a row of ampullas can be held in the tubing or stocking.

The tubing or stocking preferably consists of a tissue or a knitting.

The stocking may be emptied through its ends, so that renewed use ispossible.

It is alternatively possible to provide the tubing or stocking with oneor a plurality of apertures through which an ampulla may readily beremoved.

As a further alternative, the filled stocking or tubing may be cut Off.In this case, it can be used only once.

The stocking according to the invention is found to befiexible even at avery low temperature, for example from 10() C. to l9() C.

The tubing or stocking according to the invention preferably has asuspension member at one extremity and a member for making it heavier,such as a small weight, at its other extremity.

In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the tubing or stockingcontaining the ampullas is housed in a metal envelope, for example ofaluminum or another metal.

Patented Mar. 6, F962 The possibility of the stockings freezing togetherin a freezing or storage cabinet is thus eliminated, while theenvelopes, if they would freeze together, may readily be loosened.

The packing according to the invention can be handled satisfactorily.

Another suitable material for the stocking or the tubing is leather.

The stocking or tubing may be introduced in the bent form into atransport vessel of, for example, speherical form, such as a Dewarvessel, a reasonable space factor of the vessel then being obtainable.

Connected with the invention is a cabinet for freezing of storagedampullas, which is designed to vertically suspend in it a large numberof packings according to the invention and for example, is provided witha plurality of suspension rails or a honeycomb-like frame for suspensionof the tubings or stockings containing the ampullas.

Nylon is found to be a very suitable material for the containers. It ispleasantly smooth, so that adjacent containers are not liable to adhereto one another. When this material is used, it would be possible, forexample to suspend 90,000 ampullas each of about 3.5 cos. gross in acontainer or cabinet of 800 litres.

In order that the invention may be readily carried into efiect, it willnow be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section ofone embodiment of a packing according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side-view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a diagrammatic longitudinal section of a cabinet forfreezing raw materials packed in accordance with the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a tubing orcontainer manufactured of a tissue of wool or nylon.

A row of corked ampullas 2 of the glass-tube type is held in the tubing.

The ampullas may readily be introduced into the tubing or removedtherefrom through apertures 3.

A suspension member 5 is arranged at one extremity of the tubing bymeans of a metallic clip 4. If necessary, a clip 6 may be provided toclose the lower extremity of the tubing. This clip may be weighted, ifdesired, with a small weight 7.

The freezing cabinet shown in FIG. 3 comprises a space 8 to be cooled,which is surrounded by an insulating wall 9.

Means 1d are provided for suspending the packings shown in FIGURES l and2 side by side. These may be rails or a honeycomb-like member.

On top of the cabinet is a cover 11 having a central piece 12 of gauze.This gauze must be exchangeable, or in the alternative it must bepossible to provide several layers of gauze to obtain the requiredcounter-pressure in the space -8.

Below in the cabinet there is provided in this embodiment a rotarypropeller 13, which can circulate cold air or vapour along the packingscontaining the ampullas.

Reference numeral 14 indicates a guaze or a spiral which is connected bymeans of an electric line 20 to a temperature regulator.

Cold or liquid air is supplied at 15. the liquid is collected in acontainer 16.

Above the container 16 there is provided a gauze 17 for rendering theflow of air uniform.

The propeller spindle 1% is driven by an electric motor 19 at a speedwhich is preferably adjustable.

By controlling the temperature of the gauze 14, it is possible for thefreezing process to be carried out accord- In the latter case,

ing to requirements, which is important, for example, for freezingsperma.

What is claimed is:

1. A cabinet for cold storage of ampullas comprising a housing, aplurality of tubings of flexible, cold-resistant material having aplurality of ampullas therein extending co-axial with the respectivetubing they are located in, said tubing having such dimensions andelasticity as to firmly engage peripheral surfaces of each of saidampullas, means for suspending said tubings in a vertical plane in saidhousing, means for supplying and circulating a cold source in theinterior of said housing, a gauze material in said housing adapted to betemperature-controlled, said gauze material being located below saidtubings in the housing and contacted by the cold from said cold sourceprior to contacting of said tubings whereby a uniform flow of cold isdirected toward said tubings.

2. A cabinet for cold storage of ampullas comprising a housing, aplurality of tubings of flexible, cold-resistant material having aplurality of ampullas therein extending co-axial with the respectivetubing they are located in, said tubing having such dimensions andelasticity as to firmly engage peripheral surfaces of each of saidampullas,

means for suspending said tubings in a vertical plane in said housing,means for supplying and circulating a cold source in the interior ofsaid housing, a first gauze material in said housing adapted to betemperature-controlled, said gauze material being located below saidtubings in the housing and contacted by the cold from said cold sourceprior to contacting of said tubings whereby a uniform flow of cold isdirected toward said tubings, an apertured cover on the top of saidhousing permitting top access, said cover being provided with a secondgauze material in the aperture of said cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS170,685 Miller Dec. 7, 1875 404,464 Linn Apr. 30, 1889 1,074,415Dietrich Sept. 30, 1913 1,107,339 Milliron Aug. 18, 1914 2,315,425 HillMar. 30, 1943 2,502,527 McFarlan Apr. 4, 1950 2,630,233 Kircher Mar. 3,1953 2,695,729 Hornish Nov. 30, 1954 2,874,459 Haldman Feb. 24, 1959

